Final answer:
During weight training, you should exhale when exerting the most force, typically during the muscle contraction phase of an exercise. This helps stabilize the core and supports the spine, allowing for a more forceful muscle contraction. Exhalation during exercise involves the active contraction of muscles to effectively release air and byproducts of intense muscle activity.
Step-by-step explanation:
During weight training, the appropriate time to exhale is generally when you are exerting the most force, which usually aligns with the contraction phase of the exercise. For example, you exhale during the lifting phase of a bicep curl or the pushing motion of a bench press. This pattern of exhalation helps to stabilize the core, provides better support to the spine, and can help you exert more force with your muscles.
Exhaling is an integral part of the breathing process. As the diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax, the thorax's volume decreases, causing air to be pushed out of the lungs, much like releasing air from a balloon. However, during intense exercise like weight training, exhalation often becomes an active rather than passive process, involving the forced contraction of internal intercostal and abdominal muscles to assist in expelling air.
Understanding the role of breathing during exercise is crucial. Notably, during forced expiration, this active manipulation of breath is regulated by the contraction of accessory muscles, including the obliques, which help to effectively push out the air and reduce the volume of the thoracic cavity, aiding in the efficient release of carbon dioxide and other byproducts of muscle activity.